FALL 2014

MAN 306 – 01
Market Research
M 9:40 ‐ 10:30
W 10:40 ‐ 12:30
at MA 105

Instructor : Nagihan Çömez Dolgan

Office : MAZ 20
Phone : (312) 290‐3069
E‐mail : comez@bilkent.edu.tr
Office Hours : Monday 16:00‐18:00 , Wednesday 14:00‐15:30, and by appointment

TA:
Office Hours: TBA

Course Market research involves identification, collection, analysis, dissemination, and use of
Description: information to assist managerial decisions. The broad objective of this course is to provide
a fundamental understanding of the various research methods utilized in decision making
by firms. This course is mainly composed of two parts. The first part focuses on the
fundamentals of the market research process involving research design (e.g., exploratory,
descriptive, and causal) and data collection. The second part of this course introduces the
most common data analysis techniques (e.g., t‐test, ANOVA, regression etc.) and
illustrates how to utilize these techniques for business decisions. Furthermore, students
will learn to utilize a software in data analysis. While this course is highly quantitative, the
emphasis will be on interpretation and use of market research results rather than on
rigorous mathematical derivations. In this course, students will have the first‐hand
experience with all the phases of a market research project.

Learning Upon the successfully completion of this course, you should be able to:
Outcomes:  Evaluate and diagnose managerial problems.
 Develop a sound research design that will be appropriate for a certain market research
problem and specify the measurement and scaling procedures (conceptualization and
operationalization of constructs, assessment of validity, reliability etc.).
 Negotiate the type of research they want from a commercial market research agency
and guide the agency effectively.
 Identify methods of data collection (interview, survey etc.) and sampling.
 Understand and apply analytical tools to support managerial decisions.
 Have working knowledge and experience with a leading statistical analysis package.
 Condense and logically interpret results of data analysis.
 Competently review and criticize the research report developed within the company or
bought from a commercial research firm.

Textbook : Marketing Research: An Applied Orientation, 6th edition, by Naresh K. Malhotra, Pearson,
Prentice Hall.
Prerequisites: ECON 222 and MAN 262 and spreadsheet applications (Excel).

Grading : Performance is evaluated based upon attendance and class participation, homework‐
based quizzes, group project, midterm exam, and a final as follows:
Attendance 5%
Group Project 15%
Quizzes 25%
Midterm 25% November 10th
Final 30% TBA
For the final letter grade, I look for natural breakpoints among total weighted scores. The
particular grade depends on respective class performance.
Attendance Students are expected to attend each class and be prepared to discuss the material to be
and Class covered and to ask questions if something covered is unclear. Occasionally exercises held
Participation in class can be asked by the instructor to be submitted to be counted as attendance grade.

The group project will provide you and your group an opportunity to demonstrate your
Group Project
grasp of market research in a real‐world situation. Please form groups of at most 3 people
and post the list of group members on MOODLE latest by September 22nd. Details of the
project will be provided within the first week of classes.
Breakdown of Group Project:
Research Proposal 25%
Presentation & Content 55%
Paper 20%
Homeworks To help developing your understanding of the material, some end‐of‐chapter problems will
and Quizzes be recommended after completion of each subject. No homework submission is required
unless it is explicitly stated by the instructor. Rather, I will occasionally give a pop‐up quiz
based on these assignments, concepts covered, and cases assigned for discussion. There
will be no make‐up for quizzes missed. The homeworks will be posted on MOODLE.
Midterms and The midterm and final exams include both qualitative and quantitative questions. Both
Final exams will be in class. Please plan your schedule for the given exam dates.
Eligibility to To be eligible to take the final exam, you should attend at least 50% of each of classes and
Take the Final in‐class quizzes. Besides, your midterm exam grade should be at least half of the average
Exam score. Otherwise, you get an FZ grade.

Make‐up If you miss the midterm exam and can document a health problem approved by the
Exam Policy university health center or another valid excuse, you will take a makeup exam before the
end of classes, which will be a comprehensive exam. There will be no make‐up for the final
exam. Instead, you can the retake exam, if you are eligible to.
Use of All assignments, grades, and updated information regarding the class will be posted on
MOODLE: Moodle. Students are responsible to check Moodle frequently and report anything that
does not match their own record (e.g., missing or wrong grade for any assignment) within
one week after the date the information is posted.
Academic Integrity:
The faculty expects from its students a high level of responsibility and academic honesty. Because the
value of an academic degree depends upon the absolute integrity of the work done by the student, it is
imperative that a student demonstrate a high standard of individual honor in his or her scholastic work.
Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, statements, acts or omissions related to
applications for enrollment or the award of a degree, and/or the submission as one’s own work or
material that is not one’s own. As a general rule, scholastic dishonesty involves one of the following
acts: cheating, plagiarism, collusion and/or falsifying academic records. Students suspected of
academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary proceedings. Please visit
http://www.provost.bilkent.edu.tr/procedures/AcademicHonesty.htm to see the university’s policy on
plagiarism.
 COURSE TIMELINEi

Week Date Topic Readings

1 Sep 15‐17 Introduction to Market Research  Chapter 1

 Defining the Marketing Research Problem  Chapter 2

2 Sep 22‐24
 Research Design  Chapter 3

 Exploratory Research Design: Secondary Data

 Chapter 4
3 Sep 29‐Oct 1  Exploratory Research Design: Qualitative
 Chapter 5
Research
4 Oct 8 No Class

Descriptive Research Design: Survey and

5 Oct 13‐15  Chapter 6
Observation

6 Oct 20‐22 Causal Research Design: Experimentation  Chapter 7

7 Nov 3‐5 Measurement and Scaling  Chapters 8‐9

Nov 10 Midterm Exam
8
Nov 12 Questionnaire and Form Design  Chapter 10
9 Nov 17‐19 Sampling and Sample Size Determination  Chapters 11‐12

10 Nov 24‐26 Data Collection and Preparation  Chapters 13‐14

11 Dec 1‐3 Cross Tabulation and Hypothesis Testing  Chapter 15
12 Dec 8‐10 Analysis of Variance  Chapter 16
13 Dec 15‐17 Regression  Chapter 17

14 Dec 22‐24 Final Project Presentations

15 Dec 29 Course Wrap‐up
FINAL EXAM

i
Course program is subject to change according to the instructor’s incentive in terms of the
excluding some of the subjects, including new ones, or altering the given flow.